I shared with you last month that Dr. Mussler and Jane Walters attended a collaboration in Chicago on diagnosing and the treatment of Hidden Hearing Loss (HHL). Hidden Hearing Loss falls under the umbrella of Auditory Processing Disorders.

To review, the term HHL is used to describe someone that has significant hearing/understanding difficulties especially in the presence of background noise, yet their ability to detect sound is normal or near normal. Recall the job of the cochlea, our sensory organ or inner ear of hearing has the responsibility to detect the sounds around us. That is why a standard audiological evaluation always consists of listening to beep-beep tones where we determine the soft level you can hear at different pitches or frequencies of sound.

Unfortunately, most “standard” audiological evaluations do not measure someone’s ability to understand in the presence of background noise such as a noisy restaurant or family gathering. So, an individual is sent home after being told they had “normal” hearing. How frustrating not to be heard, not understanding what is going on and what to do about it. We must look beyond the cochlea. And We are.

Dr. Mussler and Jane came back with a lot of wonderful information. To expand upon their knowledge, I went to Columbus last month for another collaboration on the same topic. Different audiologists attended, and our host was Dr. Gail Whitelaw, audiology professor at Ohio State University. When I returned, we established an appropriate test battery and treatment plan which includes auditory training and possibly low gain amplification.

The test battery for auditory processing is extensive and is performed majority of the time to diagnose children so that they may receive services within the school system. As a clinic, we made the decision we are not going to focus on diagnosing an Auditory Processing Disorder but to understand the issues our adults are experiencing who have a Hidden Hearing Loss or better termed “Functional Hearing Loss.”

To review, there are three underlying mechanisms for HHL resulting from loud/noise exposure:

Cochlear Synaptopathy – loss of synapsis of the inner hair cells of the cochlea and the auditory nerve.
Auditory Nerve Demyelination-damage to the protective covering of the auditory nerve.
Midbrain Maladaptation-affects how the brain responds to loud sound (noise of a busy restaurant)

I am pleased to report that several weeks ago we started working with a local teacher who last year was struggling to understand her students, especially when they were in the noisy hallway or in the cafeteria. The results of her Functional Hearing Assessment in our office determined she has Hidden Hearing Loss. We fit her with low gain hearing aids, and she is working through a few auditory rehabilitation training apps. We are learning as she is learning. School has now started, and she found the benefit of our services and technology worth the investment. She is doing so much better at school.

If you would like more information about our Functional Hearing Assessment process or to schedule an appointment, give Jamie or Diane a call at 704-633-0023. Remember to visit our website: www.hearingsolutionsofnc.com and like us on Facebook. Dr. Mussler, Jane, Cheryl and I look forward to seeing you soon.